Collapsible and reusable container

ABSTRACT

A collapsible and reusable container that easily collapses to a completely flat stackable package with no small or loose parts The collapsible and reusable container can be securely locked with a single lock.

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Field of Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a collapsible and reusable container. The collapsible and reusable container may be used for storage and is particularly suited for repeated use for shipping.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Art

[0004] When products and raw materials are shipped from one location to another, usually it is shipped in some type of disposable containers. These disposable containers are usually made of paper or wood. Both paper and wood are made from trees, which is a precious natural resource that is rapidly dwindling. Furthermore, after the products and raw materials are delivered to its destination, their containers are usually thrown away. Most of the containers end up in landfills and create bulk for the landfills. Some of the containers that do get recycled require sorting and shipping them to another facility for the recycling process.

[0005] Some shipping containers are made of reusable materials such as plastic. These plastic containers are usually reused several times before they are thrown away. However, before these plastic containers can be reused, they must be shipped back to their origination location. Since these plastic containers occupy the same volume of space whether they are full or empty, shipping these plastic containers back to their original location means the same amount of space in the shipping vehicle is required to ship them back as to ship them to the destination location. This means a vehicle must be dedicated to ship the empty plastic containers back to their original location for their reuse. This is also a waste of resources.

[0006] The present invention relates to a collapsible and reusable container that solves both of the above mentioned problems. The present invention is a collapsible and reusable container that can be reused repeatedly and can be made from a variety of materials. After the products and raw materials are shipped to their destination in the collapsible and reusable container of the present invention, the collapsible and reusable container can be collapsed down to a completely flat and compact package with minimal volume and no small or loose parts that can be lost during shipping. This collapsed flat package can be easily stacked and shipped back to its original location without taking up much space on the shipping vehicle. The space that is conserved can be used for more productive purposes, such as to ship other products back to the original location. The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention is extremely easy to assemble and collapse without any tools or special skills or instructions. The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention can be securely locked with a single lock.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention is a collapsible and reusable container that easily collapses to a completely flat stackable package with no small or loose parts. The collapsible and reusable container of the present invention can be securely locked with a single lock.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008]FIG. 1 shows the top view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0009]FIG. 2 shows the front view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0010]FIG. 3 shows the side view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0011]FIG. 4 shows the front view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0012]FIG. 5 shows the bottom view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0013]FIG. 6 shows the side view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0014]FIG. 7 shows the front view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0015]FIG. 8 shows the bottom view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0016]FIG. 9 shows the side view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0017]FIG. 10 shows the front view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0018]FIG. 11 shows the bottom view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0019]FIG. 12 shows the side view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0020]FIG. 13 shows the front view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0021]FIG. 14 shows the bottom view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0022]FIG. 15 shows the side view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0023]FIG. 16 shows the top view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0024]FIG. 17 shows the front view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0025]FIG. 18 shows the side view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0026] The preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises of a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, 4 side panels and a top panel. There are 2 side panels connected to each other and to the front and back panel with flexible joints, such as a hinge, on each side of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0027] The collapsible and reusable container is collapsed by first removing the top panel by sliding it away from the back panel thereby disengaging the keys 1, 5 on the front panel and back panel. The bottom panel is then folded up against the back panel. The side panels are then folded in along the flexible joints resulting in a completely flat and stackable package. Then top panel is then inserted in the resulting space between the front panel and the folded side panels.

[0028] The collapsible and reusable container is assembled from its collapsed condition by simply reversing the collapsing procedure by first removing the top panel from between the front panel and the folded side panels. The side panels are then unfolded to form a flat side panel on each side. The bottom panel is then unfolded to rest on the step 2 on the front panel. Finally, the top panel is slide on to engage the keys 1, 5 on the front panel and back panel. Once the collapsible and reusable container is assembled, it may be locked with a single lock if the means for locking is installed on the interface between the top panel and the front panel.

[0029]FIG. 1 shows the top view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The bottom panel is generally in the shape of a rectangle.

[0030]FIG. 2 shows the front view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The bottom panel is a thin panel with a generally rectangular shape.

[0031]FIG. 3 shows the side view of the bottom panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The bottom panel is a thin panel with a generally rectangular shape.

[0032]FIG. 4 shows the front view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The front panel is generally rectangular in shape. The top of the front panel has two keys 1, each with a larger width at its top than at its bottom. The bottom of the front panel has a step 2 for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position. The two sides 3 of the front panel are protruded and at the top of each of the two sides is a notch 4 generally in the shape of the letter “V”.

[0033]FIG. 5 shows the bottom view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The front panel has a step 2 at the bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position. The two sides 3 of the front panel are protruded.

[0034]FIG. 6 shows the side view of the front panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The two sides 3 of the front panel are protruded.

[0035]FIG. 7 shows the front view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The back panel is generally rectangular in shape. The top of the back panel has two keys 5, each with a larger width at its top than at its bottom. The keys rest against a back stop 6. The bottom of the back panel has a step 7 for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position. The two sides 8 of the back panel are protruded and at the top of each of the two sides 8 is a notch 9 generally in the shape of the letter “V”.

[0036]FIG. 8 shows the bottom view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The back panel has a step 7 at the bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position. The two sides 8 of the back panel are protruded.

[0037]FIG. 9 shows the side view of the back panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The two sides 8 of the front panel are protruded.

[0038]FIG. 10 shows the front view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The side panel is generally rectangular in shape. The bottom of the side panel has a step 10 for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position.

[0039]FIG. 11 shows the bottom view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The side panel has a step 10 at the bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position.

[0040]FIG. 12 shows the side view of the side panel of the collapsible and reusable container. At the top of the side panel is a notch 11 generally in the shape of the letter “V”. The side panel has a step 10 at the bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the collapsible and reusable container is in the assembled position.

[0041]FIG. 13 shows the front view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container. It is a standard hinge with two rotably joined plates 12.

[0042]FIG. 14 shows the bottom view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0043]FIG. 15 shows the side view of the hinge of the collapsible and reusable container.

[0044]FIG. 16 shows the top view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container. The top panel is generally rectangular in shape. At the bottom of the top panel are two notches 13 that are sized to engage the keys 5 at the top of the back panel. At the top of the top panel are two notches 14 that are sized to engage the keys 1 at the top of the front panel. A channel 15 is formed adjacent to the two notches 14 at the top of the front panel in the area between the notches 13 at the bottom of the top panel and the notches 14 at the top of the top panel. Each of the two sides of the top panel has a notch channel 16 generally in the shape of the letter “V”.

[0045]FIG. 17 shows the front view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container. At the bottom of the top panel are two notches 13 that are sized to engage the keys 5 at the top of the back panel. Each of the two sides of the top panel has a notch channel 16 generally in the shape of the letter “V”.

[0046]FIG. 18 shows the side view of the top panel of the collapsible and reusable container. A channel 15 is formed adjacent to the two notches 14 at the top of the front panel in the area between the two notches 13 at the bottom of the top panel and the two notches 14 at the top of the top panel.

[0047] The bottom panel is rotably connected to the back panel above the step 7 on the back panel. The back panel is rotably connected to a first side panel and a second side panel on each of its sides. The first side panel is rotably connected to a third side panel on its other side. The second side panel is rotably connected to a fourth side panel on its other side. The third side panel is rotably connected to the front panel at one side of the front panel. The fourth side panel is rotably connected to the front panel at the other side of the front panel. The top panel is inserted on the top of the front, side, and back panels when the collapsible and reusable container is assembled for use.

[0048] To assemble the collapsible and reusable container, the side panels are rotated to form a straight flat surface on each side of the collapsible and reusable container, The bottom panel is then lowered onto and rests on the step 2 on the front panel; this will cause the side panels to lock into their straight position. The top panel is then inserted on the top of the front, side, and back panel. The keys 1, 5 on top of the front and back panel will engage the notches 14, 13 at the bottom of the top panel to lock the top panel onto the top of the collapsible and reusable container. At this position, the collapsible and reusable container is a rigid unit that will not flex or collapse. The collapsible and reusable container may be locked with a single lock. The lock may be placed between the top panel and the front panel, side panel, or the back panel.

[0049] To collapse the collapsible and reusable container, the top panel is first disassembled by sliding it off the keys 14, 13 on the back and front panels and removed from the remainder of the collapsible and reusable container. The bottom panel is then pushed up away from the steps 2, 7 on the front and back panels to rest against the back panel. The side panels are then pushed in toward the center of the collapsible and reusable container to bring the front and back panels closer to each other. The top panel that was removed is now inserted into the space left between the front panel and the side panels. The top panel will rest on the step 2 at the bottom of the front panel. After the top panel is inserted into the space between the front panel and the side panels, the collapsible and reusable container is now locked into its collapsed position. The collapsed collapsible and reusable container is now a flat package with its thickness being the sum of the thickness of its back panel, bottom panel, two side panels, top panel, and front panel. The length and width of the collapsed collapsible and reusable container is the same as the front and back panel.

[0050] As is clear from the above detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the collapsible and reusable container is extremely easy to assemble and collapse without any tools or special skills. The collapsed collapsible and reusable container does not have any small parts that can be lost. The collapsible and reusable container can be locked securely with a single lock. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A collapsible and reusable container comprising: a bottom panel, a front panel, a back panel, a first side panel connected by a rotatable joint to a third side panel on one side of the container, a second side panel connected by a rotatable joint to a fourth side panel on the opposite side of the container, a top panel, whereby the bottom panel is rotably connected to the back panel, the back panel is rotably connected on one side to the first side panel and rotably connected on the other side to the second side panel, the third side panel is rotably connected to the front panel on one side of the front panel and the fourth side panel is rotably connected to the front panel on the other side of the front panel, and the top panel is inserted on top of the front, first side, second side, third side, fourth side, and back panels to close the container.
 2. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 1, wherein the back panel has a step near its bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the bottom panel is lowered in the assembled position of the container.
 3. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 1, wherein the front panel has a step near it bottom for the bottom panel to rest on when the bottom panel is lowered in the assembled position of the container.
 4. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 1, wherein the front panel has one or more keys at the top.
 5. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 4, wherein each key has a larger width at its top that at its bottom.
 6. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 1, wherein the back panel has one or more keys at the top.
 7. A collapsible and reusable container as in claim 6, wherein each key has a larger width at its top that at its bottom.
 8. A collapsible and reusable container as in claims 4 and 6, wherein the top panel has one or more notches that are sized and located to engage the keys at the top of the front panel and back panel. 